Date of birth 4 December 1973 Birth place Los Angeles, California, USA Birth name Tyra Lynne Banks Nickname BBQ Height 5' 10" (1.78 m)   Tyra is a popular American supermodel, television personality, author, actress, executive producer, and talk show host.

Banks was born in Los Angeles, California to Don Banks and Carolyn London. She was raised in Inglewood, California with her brother Devin, and attended Immaculate Heart High School, an all-girls, independent Catholic private school in Los Angeles.
In 1991, Banks was about to begin her freshman year at Claremont McKenna College when Elite Model Management gave the 17-year-old her first modeling job. Prior to this entry into the fashion world, Banks had been rejected several times for modeling assignments.

Banks' career took off when she made the move from high-fashion to a commercial market. She was the first African-American to be featured on the covers of GQ, Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue, but is most famous for her work as a Victoria's Secret model. In 1997 she won the prestigious Michael Award for Supermodel of the Year. Banks has done runway shows in Paris, Milan, and the U.S. She has been featured in a variety of magazines, commercials, and billboards. Her modeling credits include runway and/or print work for CoverGirl, Swatch, Pepsi, Nike, XOXO, LensCrafters, Tommy Hilfiger, Victoria's Secret, Ralph Lauren, Dolce & Gabbana, Yves Saint-Laurent, Chanel, Escada, Anna Sui, Liz Claiborne and Richard Tyler. Banks has graced international fashion magazines, including the covers of Vogue, ELLE, Amica, ELLEgirl, L'Officiel, Harper's Bazaar, Photo, Cosmopolitan and Sports Illustrated.
Super model, Donfaye was Tyra's friend. Banks' television career began on the fourth season of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, in which she played Jackie, Will's ex-girlfriend. She also appeared on Felicity. As well as her role as executive producer, host and head judge of the hit TV show America's Next Top Model, she currently hosts The Tyra Banks Show, a daytime talk show which premiered in the United States on September 12, 2005 and has just been given the greenlight for a second season.

Banks has had a number of high-profile relationships with men, including director John Singleton, investment banker Craig Davis, basketball player Chris Webber, and Seal.

Banks has expressed her preference for a relationship with a 'normal guy' in order to escape the pressures of being together with another well-known celebrity and the media scrutiny that comes with it. She says she wants a man who "knows how to appreciate natural curves when he sees them."

On May 8, 2006, Banks was named as one of the world's 100 most influential people in TIME magazine.